Kevin Mulleady in Tech: Common Threads of Success

Kevin Mulleady is an entrepreneur whose career has spanned several industries, including biotech. Being in the biotech field has been something of a catch-22 for a lot of leaders. On the one hand, there’s so much opportunity to develop new treatments and therapeutics. On the other hand, there’s a lot of competition that could quickly crowd out a company without a firm enough foundation. As the successful founder or co-founder of multiple companies, he weighs in on what makes for a successful tech startup.

Efficiency and Evolution

Being efficient ultimately means different things to different startup leaders. In technology, though, there’s a lot to be said for not getting stuck in a rut. Because the whole industry moves so quickly, being left behind is usually the final nail in the coffin for technology companies.

Kevin Mulleady has seen how entrepreneurs can crash and burn when they waste time. He acknowledges that it’s a tough line to tow, though, particularly when it may take time before a good idea can eventually be realized. There’s no silver bullet, but being more aware can have its advantages. He cautions leaders to find a balance where they can both believe in their dreams and still build in enough versatility to pivot if and when the time comes.

True Passion

Some tech startups begin with nothing more than sheer love. This can mean a love for coding all night long, working through each line, and perfecting its output. It could mean the love of a puzzle, wanting to understand why something doesn’t work, and what it will take to get it up and running.

Kevin Mulleady knows what it’s like to be passionate about your career. More than that, he knows how to spot other people who are passionate too. It makes the hiring process that much easier, as leaders can pinpoint those who will bring the same degree of fervor to the organization. 

Cross-Over Skills

Prosperous tech startups don’t discount education or experience. This is probably one of the more ‘hidden’ sides of the tech field. Just because an employee doesn’t have a degree from MIT, that doesn’t mean that they’re not the perfect person for the role. A good startup leader needs to be able to see a real person’s skills, which may not always be apparent to a leader who’s so focused on the right school names.

There are a number of sectors that may look unrelated from the outside but that are more related than it seems on the surface Kevin Mulleady says. For instance, Mulleady studied economics and engineering. On the face of it, it might seem like disparate interests — until you remember that Mulleady would go on to be a startup founder in technology.

Kevin Mulleady on Putting It All Together

It’s not always easy to tell what makes for a prosperous tech startup. We’ve all seen stories that break the mold one way or the other. From the outside, a technology company may look like it has all the right pieces in place. They have the people, the funding, the idea: everything they need to strike it big. Of course, they have it all until it falls apart long before monetization. Then there are tech companies that start from nowhere, with nothing, and with seeming amateurs at the helm. The next thing you know, it’s a household name.

Kevin Mulleady believes that as easy as it is to boil it down to luck, there are more forces at play. From the premise to the research to the collaboration, there are ways to predict what’s going to work and what isn’t. While there are anomalies, of course, prosperous tech startups have to dare to ditch the glamour in favor of getting the work done.